Michael Papierski is a six-foot-three, 224 lb. switch-hitting catcher and first baseman from Palos Heights, IL. Born on February 26, 1996, he was a 16th-round choice of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014. After instead attending LSU, Papierski was redrafted in 2017 by the Astros, in the ninth round. Taken 271st overall, he signed to a deal that included a $140,000 bonus. Papierski is the eighth player taken 271st to make the majors, led by Mark Ellis (33.5 WAR).
Papierski made his debut soon after the draft with the Tri-City ValleyCats, then appeared in 2018 with the Middle-A Quad Cities River Bandits and in 2019 with the then High-A Fayetteville Woodpeckers.